Inclusive education for refugee students from Ukraine—An exploration of differentiated instruction in German schools

Abstract

Currently, refugee Ukrainian learners are attending German mainstream schools, leading to an even more diverse student population. Given that the German school system is committed to provide inclusive education for all, this study aims to examine how teachers address Ukrainian students learning needs by means of differentiated instruction. To this end, a qualitative study was conducted in which eight elementary school and advanced secondary school teachers were interviewed. Findings revealed that refugee Ukrainian students in German mainstream schools are taught alongside German students, but are also placed in separated classrooms. Additionally, they occasionally participate in remote learning via Zoom from Ukraine. Furthermore, teachers reported using more frequently tiered assignments or peer tutoring systems. In contrast, practices such as mastery learning or open education are seldomly implemented. Implications of the results, as well as limitations and further lines of research are discussed.